


one more try

by cori_the_bloody



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: But also, Episode: s01e02 Bright, F/M, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29324112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cori_the_bloody/pseuds/cori_the_bloody
Summary: “I like it,” Alex says, slapping the song flat against Luke’s chest. “But it is one-hundred percent not a love song.”
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 13
Kudos: 100





	one more try

**Author's Note:**

> a list of things that melded together in my mind in order to bring this one-shot into being:  
> \- the very compelling textual evidence that alex & luke are exes  
> \- the lyric _we will fight to shine together_ making me think of alex's parents not being cool with his identity and luke being ready to throw hands so they can be together  
> \- and, perhaps most importantly, the exchange in episode four where julie's like "wow, luke, i didn't know you were such a romantic." to which alex replies with absolutely zero hesitation, "he's not."

**1994:**

  
  


“What’s this?” Alex asks, staring down at the folded sheet of paper Luke’s just dropped in his lap.

Luke folds himself onto the lawn chair next to the couch. “It’s a song.”

Alex’s eyes dart around the studio before landing on Luke. “Okay. Do you want to wait until Reggie and—”

“No,” Luke says, cutting him off. “It’s for you.”

Alex’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Luke hugs his legs closer to his chest. He’s already a little lightheaded, so it probably won’t make a difference if he squishes all the air out of his lungs like he’s a tube of toothpaste. It feels pretty satisfying, actually.

“You’re kinda freaking me out,” Alex says in that way of his that’s attempting to be lighthearted but is also completely genuine.

“Well, I’m kinda freaking myself out, too, if that helps at all.”

“It does not,” Alex says, and then scoots forward til he’s on the edge of the couch, pinching the notebook paper between his thumb and pointer finger. “Is it…do you regret…?”

“No!” Luke says, and the forcefulness of it blows him wide open, feet hitting the concrete with a _smack_ and his hands gripping the arm rests. “Dude, no. The opposite of that.”

“Okay.” After a second, Alex’s chin jerks up in surprise. “Woah, wait. Did you—you wrote me a love song?”

“Would you just read it already?” Luke asks, standing and stalking over to their instruments. He slips his guitar over his head and starts to pluck out the melody.

When he sneaks a look over at Alex, it’s to find him unfolding the paper with a soft smile. It’s an effort, then, to keep the tempo steady. Luke suddenly feels the urge to be playing at double speed.

After a too-long minute, Alex gets off the couch.

“I like it,” he says, slapping the song flat against Luke’s chest. “But it is one-hundred percent not a love song.”

“What? What are you talking about,” Luke says, sliding his guitar behind his back so he can grab the notebook paper.

Alex snickers at him. “It reads exactly like everything else you’ve ever written. Great unfulfilled destiny, we can get there if we just work together.”

“Destiny _is_ romantic,” Luke argues. “So is teamwork!”

Alex smiles so wide, Luke can see that he’s biting the tip of his tongue. “You’re pretty cute when you’re indignant.”

“I’m always cute,” Luke says, and then he waves _Bright_ in Alex’s face. “Especially when I’m writing love songs about you.”

Alex laughs, but he shakes his head. “Not a love song.”

  
  


**2020:**

  
  


“What took you so long?” Luke asks, glancing up from his guitar when Alex pops back into the studio.

“Huh? Oh.” Alex runs a hand through his hair. “I wanted to know if Julie got back into her program.”

Luke keeps tuning. “And?”

“No luck.”

It takes a moment for that to register, but his head snaps up when it does. “Hold on a second. She’s not back in?”

Alex shrugs. “Evidently not.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Uh, evidently not.”

“Who wouldn’t want Julie in their music program?” Reggie asks. “That’s like turning an angel away from heaven. Or a sea turtle from the sea. Some things just belong where they belong, you know?”

Alex looks like he wants to say something to him, but decides against it.

“We gotta do something,” Luke says.

“Yeah? And what do you propose?” Alex asks. “We’re a little limited by the whole ‘being dead’ thing.”

“We could always go down to her school and play nonstop until they cave,” Reggie says. “Kinda like we did to get that gig at The Lyre freshman year.”

Luke’s eyes widen. “That’s it!”

“No,” Alex says, his voice tight with concern. “We definitely need to keep brainstorming. That is not the winning suggestion.”

“It’s Julie,” Luke says, whipping his guitar off and making his way for the loft. “You heard her this morning. There’s no way they’ll be able to deny her if she plays.”

“I guess,” Alex says, sounding far from convinced. Then, “Whatcha doing?”

“Looking for my songbook. You seen it?”

“Yeah,” Alex says, “it’s up there.”

Luke scans the cramped space until— _there_! He snatches up his notebook and descends again. “I bet I can find a song for her. Something just right for the occasion.”

“Ooh, like, which one were you thinking?” Reggie asks.

“Dunno,” Luke says, reaching the ground and flipping open the notebook. A loose, folded up page falls out. “Huh. Now there’s an idea.”

“What is?” Reggie asks.

“ _Bright_.”

Reggie _ooh_ s.

Alex clears his throat. “You’re gonna give Julie _Bright_?”

Honestly, the more he thinks about it… “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

“That doesn’t seem, I don’t know…” Alex trails off with a shrug, stuffing his hands deep in his pockets. “Weird to you?”

“Why?” Luke asks. “You don’t think she’d crush it?”

“Well, no, that’s not—” Alex cocks his head like he’s listening for something. “Yeah, no, she absolutely would.”

“Okay then.”

“It’s just, you wrote it for me.”

Luke meets his eye, suddenly hesitant. “I could find another song. I mean, she’d crush pretty much anything, right?”

“No,” Alex says, tense shoulders deflating. “No, you should give her that one. I guess I just wanted it acknowledged. That you’re giving away my love song.”

Luke raises his eyebrows. “Thought it wasn’t a love song.”

“Not a good one, anyway,” Alex says.

Reggie snorts.

“Yeah, yeah.” Luke shakes his head. And then he spreads the song out on top of the piano and gets to work.

  
  


He doesn’t care what Alex says. When Julie joins in singing the chorus, eyes shimmering and nose scrunched and throwing her power behind his words, it feels very much like a love song. A damn good one.


End file.
